A Continuing Case of Wanderlust

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Why My Dad is Awesome

Hello! I’m interrupting our normally-scheduled update (I’m working on it!), to wish my Dad “Happy Father’s Day!”. I’ve got a few other things for him, but I would like to share this part with you all:My Dad is freaking Awesome.I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before on here, but my Dad is one of the biggest reasons why I was able to come to France. Not to discount the others that have helped me come here, but, honestly, my Dad has gone above and beyond to make sure I could accomplish this dream.Instead of rambling about how awesome my dad is, I’ll just make a list.

My Dad is a barefoot runner. He’s run at least 5 marathons, including the Boston Marathon, which he ran barefoot… with a foot injury. Even though to most people, this just means he’s incredibly insane, I’ve always found his dedication to running (or at least his crazy urge to run crazy-long distances multiple times, and often run without shoes) to be inspiring.

My Dad wants to save the world. He’s a huge hippie. I’m not talking drugs, but, my dad is an architect, certified in LEED, and he’s always interested in what HE can do to help the environment, especially through his skills. He frequently sends letters to his local Senators/Representatives to voice his opinion, and he’s REALLY active in his community.

My Dad seems to have know more Frenchies than I do.

He’s got this massive obsession with learning. At the moment, I think he’s trying to learn both French and German, and he’s incredibly dedicated to it. He told me before he left that he’d try to learn as much French as me while I was in France—unfortunately, I think I’m winning, but he’s dedicated to it, always on LiveMocha.

He’s got awesome taste in music. He introduced me to the Beatles, Coldplay, U2, and Metric. He goes to concerts frequently (such as Vampire Weekend), and he took me and my brother to a Metric concert with him when he was in town near Thanksgiving.

He took me to Paris for Christmas, and took hundreds of pictures.

When he goes on trips for work or for fun, he tends to bring back interesting gifts for me and my brother. Obama t-shirt, free samples, a signed picture of Meb Keflezighi, and strange-ugly-awesome vintage goodies from NOLA. (Okay, I get it, that’s weird, but I think it’s great.)

He was one of the first people I told when I was trying to figure out my religion. He introduced me to the FSM.

My Dad went to every single one of my cross-country races during my freshman and sophomore years. (My brother ran XC at the time, so he was there for both of us.) I don’t think I remember him missing one, and he ALWAYS took pictures. I find that to be awesome.

He goes running with me when we’re in Florida.

When I got sick when he moved to NOLA, he went out at like 6 in the morning or something like that to find me Pepto-Bismol. xD

He’s a pescatarian, except for when he can try new ribs. It’s always been his weakness.

He’s pretty darn good at cooking—his vegetarian chili, lentil soup, and his pies are all fantastic.

He understands me better than nearly anyone.

He’s always supported my dreams, be it writing a novel in a month, becoming fluent in French, and this trip to France. Beyond that, he does everything in his power to help me, be it sending no less than twenty emails, recommending resources, or encouraging me.

Basically, my dad is one of the coolest dads I know and I can’t wait to see him this summer 🙂 We’ll go to Universal Studios (where he used to work, which is another awesome thing!) and hang out (with my brother, of course) and it’ll just be awesome like Paris was awesome, except less French-y. ANYWAY, I wish any fathers “HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!” and especially my father.Have a great day! <3, Aly